Torture and cruel attitude towards Ruben Vardanyan: lawyers sent an urgent appeal to the UN representative

 "Hetq". On June 13, the international legal team of Ruben Vardanyan, a political prisoner detained in Baku Republic (ed.), former Minister of State of Artsakh, submitted an urgent application to the special rapporteur of the UN Committee against Torture, urging him to condemn the torture and brutality carried out against Ruben Vardanyan by the government of Baku (ed.). attitude.

To remind, the state border guard service of the Republic of Baku (ed.) arrested Ruben Vardanyan in 2023, on September 27, while passing through the Lachin (Berdzor - ed.) corridor to the Syunik Marz of the Republic of Armenia. He was transferred to Baku on the same day.

In the application-complaint presented to the special rapporteur of the UN Committee against Torture, Alice Edwards, the international legal consultant Jared Genser and his team emphasized the torture and ill-treatment by the government of the Republic of Baku (ed.).

According to Vardanyan's lawyers, the fact that Ruben Vardanyan's family and the international lawyer were informed that during the hunger strike announced in April 2024, Vardanyan was transferred to a prison cell, deprived of access to drinking water, sleep and contact with the outside world, is of great concern. There is no information on how strong the psychological and physical damages caused to him were as a result of all that.

"Ruben Vardanyan is a well-known philanthropist and philanthropist who has been defending the rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh for many years. It is noteworthy that Baku (ed.) views him as a threat, attempts to silence him through arbitrary detention, and more recently through torture and ill-treatment. If Baku (ed.) wants to be taken seriously on the international stage and for "COP29" to become a "COP of peace", it should stop the brutal treatment of Vardanyan and immediately release him and other political prisoners of Nagorno Karabakh. Jared Genser, the international legal advisor of the Vardanyan family, said.

On April 5-25, 2024, Ruben Vardanyan announced a hunger strike in protest against the politically motivated persecution of him and other Armenian prisoners. In response, the officials of the Baku State Security Service's pre-trial detention center transferred Vardanyan to a prison cell, where he was kept during the entire hunger strike.

According to the statement of the legal group, the light was on all day in the solitary cell, which led to insomnia and exhaustion. In addition, he was forced to stand on his feet for a long time and deprived of drinking water for more than two days. Moreover, he was not allowed to bathe and change his clothes, was not provided with toilet paper, was not allowed to take a book or any reading material, he was deprived of bed linen. The fact that neither Vardanyan's lawyer, nor anyone else, including the local Human Rights Defender, was allowed to visit Vardanyan during the hunger strike, and his contact with the outside world (for example, phone calls with his family) was stopped is particularly worrying.

"With this attitude, which was aimed at punishing Vardanyan for his hunger strike, as well as political activities in Nagorno-Karabakh and the protection of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, Baku (ed.) grossly violates its obligations under the Convention against Torture, as well as the UN's Minimum Treatment of Prisoners standard revised rules. Unfortunately, the cruel treatment towards Ruben Vardanyan is not at all surprising. Baku (ed.) has a well-known and well-documented history of torturing both political prisoners in general and ethnic Armenian detainees in particular. Given Ruben Vardanyan's nationality, his status as a former high-ranking official in the Nagorno-Karabakh government, Baku's (ed.) open criticism of Nagorno-Karabakh and the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as his detention under the State Security Service (which is notorious has concerns regarding the torture of ethnic Armenians), Vardanyan is at imminent risk of further torture and ill-treatment.

"We were shocked to know what horrors my father went through. It's scary to even think about what they do in Baku (ed.) to the not-so-famous prisoners who did not have such international support as my father. For the sake of all political prisoners held in Baku (ed.), be they Armenians, Azerbaijanis or representatives of any other nationality, such inhumane treatment of prisoners should be stopped. We call on the United Nations to hold the government of Baku (ed.) accountable and help protect my father's life," said Davit Vardanyan, the eldest son of Ruben Vardanyan.

Many human rights organizations, national governments and international structures called on Baku (ed.) to release Ruben Vardanyan and other political prisoners of Nagorno Karabakh. For example, on June 11, 2024, US Senator Ed Markey called from the Senate floor to release the prisoners, specifically mentioning and condemning W.

Many human rights organizations, national governments and international structures called on Baku (ed.) to release Ruben Vardanyan and other political prisoners of Nagorno Karabakh. For example, on June 11, 2024, American Senator Ed Markey called from the high podium of the Senate to release the prisoners, specifically mentioning and condemning the brutal treatment of Vardanyan," the legal group said in a statement.